kanbans

Noun

kanban (countable and uncountable, plural kanbans or kanban)

1. (countable) A card containing a set of manufacturing specifications and requirements, used to regulate the supply of components.
   • The sub-assembly line assembles A. It goes to processing line 1 to withdraw part a, and for this purpose it must take the sub-assembly kanban (called withdrawal kanban). It goes to store a, withdraws boxes in the required quantity and removes those kanban (called in-process kanban or...1986, David J. Lu, transl., edited by Japan Management Association, Kanban Just-in Time at Toyota: Management Begins at the Workplace, CRC Press, →ISBN, page 93
2. A coordinated manufacturing system using such cards.
   • However, since so many Japanese industries have adopted Kanban, this problem is diminishing.1994, Yasuhiro Monden, Toyota Production System: An Integrated Approach to Just-In-Time, Chapman & Hall, →ISBN, page 51
3. (broadly) A system to manage, visualise, and improve work across teams, often as part of an agile methodology.
   • kanban board